


Don't Go (vanilla twilight)

by lovelyairi



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Small Town, Fairies, Fictional Town, M/M, a hint of mystery, soft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-23 00:56:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21311458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelyairi/pseuds/lovelyairi
Summary: Jongin returns to the town of Sweethollow where his grandparents liveAs a child the adults always told him to stay away from the forestBut as an adult, he can't help but wonder who watches him from the shadows of the trees
Relationships: Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongin | Kai
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22
Collections: EXO MONSTERFEST 2019





	Don't Go (vanilla twilight)

**Author's Note:**

> My prompt was L125!  
I am so sorry that this isn't the completed story  
Unfortunately I just had so much going on that I wasn't able to bring myself to finish it despite the mods being so so kind and giving me two extensions  
I promise that I will have the second part up by the end of November and the last part up before the end of the year  
Just bear with me? <3 I apologize for this but I also didn't want to drop out or force myself to write something half-assed  
Thank you so much to the mods who were extremely helpful and to the other writers who submitted their stories on time as well as those still working to finish before their extensions are up <3  
Y'all are amazing and I hope to indulge in all of these wonderful stories when I have the chance  
Thank you and I hope you enjoy the first part <3

_ The sunlight was strong as Jongin sat in the yard behind his grandparents house. His grandparents and parents were currently sitting on the back porch, hiding from the sun that threatened to burn their skin while Jongin glowed in its warmth. His sisters were off somewhere, not that he cared. They didn’t like playing with him and he didn’t like playing with them either. They always left him out. Jongin pouts as he continues playing with the blades of grass that made his fingernails green.  _

_ He sighs and he almost throws a little tantrum out of boredom but then he remembers that his parents expected him to be a big boy now. Jongin is bored though. Really bored. He lays back in the sun and has to raise his arm over his face to provide some kind of protection for his eyes. His head falls to the right and he closes his eyes for a second, basking in the smell of summer. However the thought of bugs crawling into his ears made him sit up. _

_ In the haze of Jongin’s adjusting vision he sees something standing in the shadows of the forest. Jongin squints and he wipes his hands off on his shirt before wiping them against his eyes. Blinking furiously, Jongin can make out the silhouette of a boy standing beneath a large tree, he’s clutching the trunk protectively as he peeks out from underneath. Jongin’s eyes widen when they make eye contact and the boy immediately runs. Jongin feels a little offended since he’s never met anyone who didn’t like him before. He didn’t even do anything.  _

_ Feeling an overwhelming need to make this boy become his friend Jongin stalks off towards the forest. His grandparents and parents don’t notice him but if they did they would stop him. Jongin knows the rules and he knows that he shouldn’t wander into the forest but that boy should know the rules too right? Yet he’s breaking them. Jongin runs into the forest and he doesn’t think much of his actions when he does. _

_ “Hey you!” Jongin calls out to the boy that seemed to have stopped at a nearby tree. The boy startles at his voice and flees further into the forest. Jongin huffs and follows after him. He keeps his arms out and walks with his knees up high as he treads through the tall plants and avoids tree branches. Why did this feel like a jungle? Since Jongin had been too busy looking down at the ground while he was pursuing the boy he didn’t realize that he had lost sight of him a long time ago. Jongin looks up and the moment he does he trips over a thick branch and tumbles to the ground.  _

_ “Ouch! W-why are you running? I just wanted to be friends,” Jongin pouts and he stands up, brushing off his knees as he does. There aren’t any major cuts thankfully but he does have some scratches on his palms. Jongin looks around and he can see that the sunlight in no longer on him. All he can see around him is green and Jongin’s breath begins to quicken. He’d been so busy looking at the ground that he didn’t remember which direction he came from. Is he lost? Jongin doesn’t know what to do and his brain isn’t letting his body move.  _

_ He should’ve listened to his grandparents, they knew better than anyone else that the forest was not to be played in. Jongin begins to cry and he can’t hold in his whimpers. A rustling in the leaves makes him freeze and his knees shake.  _

_ “Don’t be scared,” a small voice says and Jongin only sees a pair of dark eyes hidden by a bright shimmer before he passes out. _   
  


A knock of his head against a thick window pane is what wakes Jongin from his impromptu nap. His brain doesn’t register the impact right away and only when he hits his head again does he finally pulled away, sitting back into the stiff seat with a pout on his lips and a throbbing in his temples. Jongin yawns and he opens his eyes with much difficulty, his hand instinctively raising to rub his head, though it does little to soothe the ache that seemed to persist. Jongin looks outside and he can see that the sun was no longer at its highest and there were only trees and fields in his view. A lighthearted chuckle was heard from his right and Jongin looks over to the elder woman seated beside him with a sheepish smile.

“Did you have a good dream?” she asks and Jongin shrugs since he couldn’t really call it a good one per say.

“It was confusing,” he says honestly and she hums with a nod of her head. Jongin was still a little disoriented from his nap and he reaches down to the bag resting in between his calves, he pulls out a bottle of water and hungrily drinks from it. Jongin clears his throat and he keeps the water bottle in his lap just in case he needed it again.

“Now, what is a young man like you heading out to the small town of Sweethollow for?” the woman continues the conversation and Jongin doesn’t mind. He angles his body to her a little so that he can force his sleepy brain to pay attention. It takes a second for Jongin to process the question again and when he does he smiles.

“I’m visiting my grandparents,” Jongin answers and her face melts into a kind expression. But there’s a hint of bittersweetness in her eyes.

“I wish my grandchildren would come to visit me. I’m actually on my way back from visiting them,” she admits and Jongin nods his head. It wasn’t really his business how other grandchildren treated their grandparents. It was a long train ride to the city though and he feels somewhat sorry for her. 

“I’ve been visiting my grandparents since I was a child, so I have a lot of fond memories for the town as well. It’s probably why I keep coming back,” Jongin giggles to himself and he almost wants to die from embarrassment because he shouldn’t be giggling in front of a stranger. It was true though, he didn’t return for only his grandparents but the entirety of the town, he truly enjoyed the simplicity and community of it all. 

“I agree. That might be the reason why I never really had the heart to leave Sweethollow. There’s some kind of magic tied to this town and the forest surrounding it,” the old woman looks out the window as she speaks and Jongin frowns at the mention of the forest. She notices his expression and she laughs lightly, the sound bright like a bell.

“Your grandparents must have told you to stay away from the forest. It’s something all of us adults tell the children,” she begins as if she’s going to go into a long tale and Jongin nods his head almost eagerly, wanting to know why. Well he can kind of guess that the forest was dangerous for children to wander around in but for some reason it always felt like there was a lot more to it than what the adults told them.

“That’s not something I can share with you, maybe your grandparents will tell you or you’ll figure it out yourself,” the old woman says with a mischievous grin and Jongin is visibly disappointed. The train slows and the announcer overhead states that they’re now at their destination. Jongin sighs in relief at finally arriving and when the train officially halts he is more than ready to help the older woman with her bags. The woman sees this and she smiles at him,

“It’s quite alright, I only have my purse. Thank you for an interesting conversation,” she says to him sweetly as Jongin is removing his luggage from the compartment up above. However he doesn’t have a chance to say goodbye to her because she’s already gone. Jongin shakes off the strange encounter and he puts on his bag before dragging his luggage down the carpeted aisles. Once he’s gotten off of the train he stretches his long legs and takes a deep breath before entering the train station to his right. Jongin squints as he enters the train station that was quite small but very open since there were skylights all over the place.

His luggage rolls over the tiles a little too loudly as he looks around and he spots two very familiar figures sitting near the exit. Jongin can recognize his grandparents from anywhere, even just from their backsides. His grandfather seems to be leaning on his grandmother’s shoulder and his heart warms at the sight. Jongin comes closer and he’s obviously trying to be quiet as he does. His grandmother looked up at him with a bright smile and he returns it before he squats down to reach her eye level. 

“Your grandfather was up until the early hours of the morning cleaning the guest room for you. We’d already cleaned it ages ago but he was so worried about your trip he couldn’t sleep,” she says cheekily. Jongin smiles wider and he gently holds his grandfather’s hand before giving it a squeeze, hoping to wake him. Thankfully it works in an instant and his grandfather perks up, blinking furiously before he manages to focus on the sight of Jongin in front of him.

“You should sleep at home or you’ll catch a cold you know,” Jongin scolds him playfully and the way his grandfather’s face lights up makes him so happy. His grandfather places a hand on each of his cheeks and pulls him close before kissing his forehead,

“Look at how handsome you are! Even more handsome than the last time I saw you,” Jongin laughs and he holds his grandfather’s hands before he stands up. He’s been told before that he looks like his grandfather when he was younger and Jongin has yet to see any pictures so he isn’t sure how accurate it is but maybe that was why his grandfather praised his looks so much.

“It’s only been a few months since my last visit. Come on, let’s head home,” Jongin says and he helps his grandfather and grandmother stand, lending them a hand. They both stand much shorter than he does but he likes it in a way. His grandfather tries to reach for his luggage and Jongin’s reaction is to stop him. 

“You think I’m so old that I can’t carry this small luggage for my grandson? Let me carry it for you,” his grandfather protests and doesn’t let him get close, a small disadvantage to being taller since his grandfather can just crouch around the luggage. Jongin whines and he pauses when his grandmother holds his arm.

“Your grandfather is a very stubborn man, just let it be,” she laughs and Jongin pouts. He already knew this of course since he practically fought his grandfather on this every time he visited. This was his first time visiting them alone however and he didn’t have his mother who acted as a distraction this time around. Jongin relents since he doesn’t really want to argue with his grandfather but he does let him walk ahead while Jongin walks with his grandmother behind him. They arrive at the small car parked close to the entrance and Jongin opens the passenger door for his grandmother before he gets into the backseat himself. His grandfather pulls out his glasses and puts them on before he begins driving.

Jongin relaxes as he leans back into the seat, the car smells faintly of rice cakes for some reason and he smiles at that. The trip home was going to be a little long, about an hour since his grandparents lived on what could be considered the outskirts of town. He wonders how long they’ve been waiting for him at the station, and how early they’d woken up this morning. Jongin opens the back window a little bit and he closes his eyes, enjoying the air while his grandparents hum along to the country radio. He truly just enjoys the feeling of the breeze on his skin, it makes him feel so comfortable.

“Was it a long journey Jongin?” his grandmother asks and Jongin doesn’t open his eyes as he replies.

“I slept for majority of it but the train doesn’t have any windows,” Jongin breathes deeply as he speaks and he leans into the seat further, trying to find a nice angle to rest his head. With a quick glance outside he can’t hide the quirk of his lips, he really was far away from the big city. The city may be a convenient place to live, what with everything being within walking distance but it was honestly so suffocating sometimes. It was one of the reasons why he decided to come visit his grandparents alone, when he’d usually come down to visit with his mother.

“Will you be okay with your studies?” his grandmother asks and Jongin opens his eyes, he leans forward so that he can be a little closer to his grandparents. 

“I’m on summer break so no worries. I can stay here as long as you’d like,” Jongin’s tone is cheeky and his grandfather laughs at him. They both knew that he was currently in college to become a dental hygienist, it was something that would guarantee him money while he could pursue dancing on the side which was his real passion. 

“Look at this boy, don’t tempt us with that offer!” he jests while gesturing towards Jongin and the car erupts into laughter. Jongin can’t help feeling a little giddy, having really missed his grandparents. Whenever he’s with them he begins to remember how much he appreciates them. Back at home, it was just him and his mom now. 

“How are Jungha and Jihyun? We haven’t seen them in a long time,” his grandfather asks and Jongin purses his lips.

“Jungha noona visits a lot since she lives close and she drops off her kids for mom to take of, from time to time. As for Jihyun noona she’s travelling the world with her girlfriend, she sends home postcards quite often,” Jongin says and he kinda misses when the whole family would come together to visit his grandparents. His paternal grandparents weren’t really in their lives so all they had left were their maternal grandparents. 

“I plan on staying until the beginning of September, mom said she’ll be coming down at the end of August so we’ll head home together,” Jongin explains and his grandparents nod in agreement. Jongin falls back into the seat and he can vaguely hear his grandparents talking about how he won’t be too bored at their little house. Jongin was a simple man and it didn’t take a lot to keep him occupied after all and the addition of Wi-Fi at his grandparents house did make his visits a little more interesting whenever it got dark. During the day Jongin preferred to be outside, be it on his grandfather’s farm or elsewhere. The rest of the car ride is a little more quiet and Jongin welcomes it. The scenery passing by becomes a little more familiar and Jongin feels a weight lifting from his shoulders when he sees his grandparents house.

“Did you two start a garden in the back?” the sun is setting when they all climb out of the car and Jongin squints as he sees a glimpse of a very lush garden in what used to be a very barren yard. Jongin grabs his luggage from the trunk before his grandfather and his grandmother gave him a knowing smile. 

“Come on inside now, it’ll be getting dark soon. I’ll give you a tour tomorrow,” his grandmother says and Jongin nods absentmindedly as he follows his grandparents inside. Jongin hurries up the stairs to what was usually his room whenever he visited and tossed his things inside carelessly. Except for his bag of course, his laptop was inside of it after all. Jongin hurries back down after shrugging off his hoodie and his stomach growls when he smells the hearty meal already set on the table for him.

“Wash your hands and sit down. I made all of your favourites,” Jongin does as he’s told and he thanks her for the meal but he begins to eat. It was a simple meal of fried chicken and pickled vegetables along with a hearty stew but it was enough to feel like home. It was the perfect way to end a long day of travel and Jongin doesn’t say much as he eats. It seems his grandparents feel the same way because the table is full of the sounds of clinking cutlery and polite chewing. Jongin helps his grandmother with the dishes and she shoos him away.

“None of that now. You go on up and shower before heading to bed. Your grandfather and I are going right to sleep right after cleaning up.” his grandmother says to him and Jongin pouts, hesitating before looking at his grandfather who nods at him.

“If you say so… goodnight! I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jongin says to them both and they mutter similar words in response. He goes right upstairs and heads into his room, grabbing some clothes and his towel from his luggage before going into the washroom. Jongin is quick with his shower, using cooler water since his hair was freshly dyed with a deep pink and he was trying to keep the colour as vibrant as he could. The shower isn’t really relaxing but it is nice to get the smell of the train off of his skin. Jongin returns to his room and he closes the door behind him quietly. He didn’t bother putting a shirt on since he didn’t have to worry about his mom sharing the room with him this time and he goes over to the window. 

His bedroom has a view of the backyard and through the dark Jongin can’t see much of it. There wasn’t any moonlight guiding his eyes tonight. As he looks out towards the forest however he does see something similar to a glimmer near the edge and he frowns. His eyes aren’t able to focus on it without his glasses and Jongin doesn’t dwell on it much longer, shrugging and going right to bed. He doesn’t notice how the glimmer vanished as soon as he turned his head.

**Author's Note:**

> I promise I will finish it  
Thank you for reading and please give the other writers some love as well  
Everyone worked so hard <3


End file.
